World News
Victoria cancels plans for taxpayer-funded Daniel Andrews statue
Premier Ben Carroll has ended a 1999 policy granting statues to long-serving premiers and redirected the commissioned artwork.
The short version
- The Victorian government officially ended a policy automatically commemorating long-serving premiers with statues, halting work on a sculpture of former Premier Daniel Andrews.
- The commissioned contract will not be canceled; instead, an independent panel will select a new subject and location for the artwork.
- The panel will also review future state guidelines for memorials, public statues, and state funerals.
Key facts
- Victorian Premier Ben Carroll announced the termination of a 1999 policy introduced by Jeff Kennett that granted statues on Treasury Place to premiers who served more than 3,000 days.[The Guardian]
- Work on the statue of Daniel Andrews, which began in May and carried a cost of $134,000, has been ordered to stop.[The Guardian]
- The existing contract with Meridian Sculpture will remain active, with an independent and bipartisan panel assigned to choose an alternative subject and location for the piece.[The Guardian]
- The decision follows sustained criticism from the Liberal opposition, including opposition leader Jess Wilson, over government spending.[The Guardian]
- Daniel Andrews served as premier of Victoria from December 2014 to September 2023.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The new subject, location, and total final cost for the repurposed sculpture commission have not yet been determined by the newly formed panel.[The Guardian]